YOU Show Archives

The YOU Show was started in 2010 by Megan Newton as a platform for local emerging artists to launch their new work. This program has launched over 50 new works by BC artists since its inception, and many of these have gone to be presented at festivals across the country.

March 2010PRODUCER: Jer Banks of Arbutus Productions/FringetasticSHOW: The Big Smoke by Ron Fromstein

This show went on to be fully staged and toured to sold out houses at the Victoria Fringe and then continued to tour the follow year to Fringes across Canada and to the Orlando Frigne. The Producer of this piece also went on to start the Nanaimo Fringe.

April 2010PRODUCER: Missie Peters of Not Your Grandma’s PoetrySHOW: Public Confessions of a Public Servant by Missie Peters Directed by Alex Wlasenko

Public Confessions of a Public Servant chronicles Missie’s (mis) adventures as a public servant in 9 different ministries of the BC government. The piece was presented as a staged reading for the YOU Show and went on to be fully produced and debut at the Victoria Fringe Festival in 2010. Missie was then invited to perform the show at the Uno Fest in May of 2011.

Gnomeward Bound is a story about a very imaginative little girl and her experiments with dreams. It included physical theatre, puppetry and storytelling. After some rewrites, this show debuted in full at the Calgary Fringe the following month then went on to tour in the summer of 2011 to Edmonton, Victoria and Vancouver, playing to frequently sold out houses. It was chosen as Pick of the Fringe in both Victoria and Vancouver.

December 2010PRODUCER: Justin CarterSHOW: Son of Africville written and performed by Justin Carter Co-Written by Dama Hanks

This show started as a reading for Puente Theatre and is a lovely one man show about his mother and his journey to meet her one last time before she died. Its YOU SHOW presentation was a staged reading with many of the production elements in place. It included new scripts edits and songs. Son of Africville was invited to do a full staging of the show at Uno Fest in 2011 and played to sold out houses throughout the festival. It has since been picked up to tour to the Maritimes.

January 2011PRODUCER: Wave TheatreSHOW: Rosie Written and performed by Gina McIntosh Co-directed/dramaturged by Monica Prendergast and Kate Rubin

This show was presented as a staged reading and following audience feedback, a new draft was written. The new script was presented again at the Uno Fest in May 2011. It was a story about a woman consumed by her belongings and her tendency toward hoarding.

February 2011PRODUCER: IMPULSE TheatreSHOW: Wrath Created and performed by Andrew Barrett and Emily Piggford.

This physical theatre piece was created by students from UVIc and self produced through the YOUShow. It was a great opportunity for university students to start producing their own work outside the department and gain a better understanding of the intricacies of self producing their work. The show was presented here then reworked and presented the following June in an extended and more polished version. Both performances were accompanied by an art exhibit that explored the same themes and incarnations of anger and raw emotion.

March 2011PRODUCER: Castlereigh Theatre ProjectSHOW: Castle in the Sky written by Francesca Albright & Jude Allen

This piece was a kind of theatrical documentary centered around the murder of a family in medicine Hat Alberta. It was put together using over 200 hours of interviews. After two days of workshops, the piece was presented as a staged reading with a talk back following. The piece has since made its fully staged debut at Sage Theatre’s Ignite Festival in Calgary and has toured to many cities around Alberta, including going back to Medicine Hat. The newest version played April 2016 at The Belfry Theatre Studio A, directed by Britt Small.

April 2011PRODUCER: Treena StubelSHOW: False Dilemna Created and Performed by Treena Stubel

This solo work in progress was a retelling of the book The Little Prince but with a female main character and a foundation in physical theatre and dance. Work continues on the piece.

August 2011PRODUCER: Joyce KlineSHOW: Smash a Plate! Written by Joyce Kline

Smash a plate! Is a new musical and this was its second workshop reading. This version included new songs and music and a new cast. Since presenting the work and getting audience feedback on the two performances they did, Joyce has gone back for more drafts.

September 2011PRODUCER: Catflap CreationsSHOW: Cantadora, Created by Janet Walker

This presentation of Cantadora was the first time this surrealist musical had ever been worked or staged. It is a collaborative creation of a group of UVic students and it is our only YOU Show to feature a live chicken. Plans are in the works to restage it soon.

January 2012PRODUCER: The Other Guys Theatre Co.SHOW: Cougar Annie Tales, by Katrina Kadoski

This musical play by local singer/actress Katrina Kadoski is about the West Coast pioneer. Katrina lived for several years at the Cougar Annie farm site and has used her unique insight to create songs and narrative to illustrate this amazing local character. This production has gone on to be featured in the 2012 Uno Fest’s Uno Works Series and continues to our the province.

February 2012PRODUCER: Broken RhythmsSHOW: Spark

This movement and dance based piece is on the theme of human evolution. The simplicity of the basic primal cell would transform into the complexity of multi-cellular animal life, eventually giving way to robotic patterns through the progression of this performance.

March 2012PRODUCER: Scrumpy ProductionsSHOW:The Wyf of Bathe

This workshop was a staging of Julian Cervello’s (Canterbury Cocktails, Fringe 2011) new one-man show The Wyf of Bathe. Performed entirely in its original Middle English, this raunchy and explicit, yet deeply moving 600-year-old comedy about the life of a Medieval woman named Alisoun demonstrates how timeless the structure of a ‘contemporary one-woman show’ really is. Julian is presented Canterbury Cocktails at Uno Fest 2012

April 2012PRODUCER: Marina LegaceSHOW: Confessions of a Clown College Dropout

This workshop portrayed an intimate look into the private life of a performer; one who struggles to distinguish between fantasy and reality, with an inclination towards madness.

May 2012PRODUCER: Andrew WadeSHOW: The Romantics

This workshop was a script-in-hand staged reading of Andrew Wade’s first full-length, two act play, The Romantics. Andrew is becoming a well know local Fringe performer and this script won the Vancouver Young Playwrights award. This presentation was the first time the public had the work and feedback was welcome after the reading.

November 2012PRODUCER: Jack HorneSHOW: Indigenous Like Me

Indigenous Like Me and tells the story of an Indigenous man coming to grips with the passing of his Mother and the culture clash this creates within his family. The play incorporates song, dance, and spoken word as Frank’s Mom is remembered through stories recounted by Frank, his sister Kay, and his best friend Mona. Entrenched in the story is Frank’s journey as a gay, Coast Salish man returning to his home and accepting his place within his Indigenous community. This show sold out it’s one-night YOU Show run in November, 2012.

January 2013PRODUCER: Mika LaulainenSHOW: The Runaway

The Runaway is a show about love, loss, acceptance, and extra terrestrials. Sam runs away from home to live in the forest in order to convince passersby to help her save the world from an alien abduction on the ten year anniversary of her sister’s death. Through narration, physical storytelling, audience inclusion, and ukulele duets, Sam’s story takes us on a journey from crazed activism to a place of real heart. This show is a bittersweet slice of life with a dash of humour and a pinch of song. Recommended for ages 8 and up this play was originally created and produced as a 10 minute play for Theatre SKAM’s Bike Ride 2012 and it was selected to remount on Oct 20th as a part of Capital Arts Council event at Victoria City Hall. The full version was programmed as part of Kaledioscope Theatre’s 2nd Annual Family Festival in May 2014.

February 2013PRODUCER: John GreenSHOW:The Occupied Mind of Mr. K

The Occupied Mind of Mr. K. is a riotous, unnerving black comedy of the supernatural and the 1%. When jobless programmer Vijay learns of a billionaire’s recent death, he hatches the ultimate scheme: to get his friend Pericles, a psychic meditation expert, to take over the billionaire’s “vacant” body and gain them control of his business empire. This show went on to run at the 2013 Victoria Fringe Festival.

March 2013PRODUCER: Scott ThompsonSHOW: An Improvised Dungeons and Dragons

For the first time in Victoria, the classic game of Dungeons and Dragons takes to the stage in an improvised, theatrical adaptation of one of the most prolific fantasy adventure games of all time. The cast is comprised of Pick of the Fringe performers, and members of local improv company Paper St. Theatre. Dave Morris, Missie Peters, Byron Kjeldsen, and Nicole Olszewski, have stepped into the shoes of medieval heroes, in attempt to quell an evil force from regaining power, all while following the rules of Dungeons and Dragons v3.5, complete with Dungeon Master, and dice rolls! This show sold out it’s You Show presentation.

An original adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, ALICE, is a theatrical adventure blending text and movement by Jessica Hickman and Joel Bernbaum. In this new family friendly play, Alice’s journey could easily belong to any one of us. We meet the Queen of Hearts, the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat and other classic characters as they move in and out of the story using physical theatre, choreography and music.

May 2013PRODUCER: Nicolle NattrassSHOW: MAMAHOOD: Turn and Face the Strange

Nicolle Nattrass presents a staged reading of a new solo work in progress. Mamahood: Turn and Face the Strange is a sound and text exploration of one woman’s journey to an alternate time and space, Planet Mamahood. This show has gone on to PGC readings in Nanaimo and a reading was presented during Kaledioscope Theatre’s 2nd Annual Family Theatre Festival in May 2014, and Nicolle is performing the show as part of the Firehall Arts Centre’s (Vancouver) season in Fall, 2016.

July 2013PRODUCER: Diana KuchSHOW: Untitled

Dianna Kuch presents Untitled. A stand up comedy show that takes you on a hilarious romp through her extended mid-life crisis which spans over two decades. The show is a celebration of imperfection and a testimony to the power of F$@!ing up

August 2013PRODUCER: Launch Pad ProductionsSHOW: Watch for Bones

Launch Pad Productions presents Watch for Bones. A fast, fresh, and uproariously funny comic sketch show that combines the stylishly smart with the side-splittingly silly. Launch Pad is a Pick of the Fringe winning company and has created original sketch comedy shows and has partnered with local imrpov company Paper Street with The Half Time Show.

September 2013PRODUCER: 2 Dope Boys in a CadillacSHOW: The Anthropocalypse – A Psychedelic Talk Opera

2 Dope Boys in a Cadillac present The Anthropocalypse – A Psychedelic Talk Opera. A unique blend of poetry and theatre, fact and fiction, surrealist satire and modern fantasy, that explores the mythical revelation of the Anthropocalypse (or humanity’s self-destruction), through the stories of two young men from a community in BC’s fabled Cadillac Mountains, who find themselves lost when their home is destroyed. This show has been a smash hit at spoken word festivals across the country, and played at the 2014 Victoria Fringe Festival.

October 2013PRODUCER: Break Contemporary CircusSHOW:Sense;Or

Break Contemporary Circus presents Sense,Or. Mixing elements of contemporary circus, theatre and dance, Sense;Or takes viewers on one man’s journey to rediscover the value of his senses in the wake of a life threatening accident.

Sense;Or was presented as part of Vancouver’s CircusFest 2014.

November 2013PRODUCER: Karen Lee PickettSHOW: Slick

On the Lam productions presents Slick. A reading of a solo show about a woman whose career as a publicist for the oil industry takes a turn when she goes to Texas to care for her dying father and discovers the pipeline about to come through his backyard.Slick was presented as a work in progress as an UnoWork at Uno Fest 2014, and as a full production at Uno Fest in 2015.

December 2013PRODUCER: Liz CrockerSHOW: The Forerunner

Salt Frog presents a staged reading of “The Forerunner”. Developed in workshops and mounted as a short work for Theatre Skam’s Bike Ride 2013, “The Forerunner” is written and performed by Liz Crocker. Liz’s French Acadian grandmother, Grandmere, has left her a legacy of forerunners and ghost stories. But is that all? Two voices untangle the mysteries. A one woman show, or is it?

February 2014PRODUCER: Andy GarlandSHOW: Deadmonton

Fishbowl Productions is proud to present DEADMONTON, a dark poetic drama from award-winning playwright Andy Garland. Set in the deep winter of 2008, it tells the story of two strangers (Richard Meen and Starlise Waschuk) who meet by chance… and both share the same violent hobby.

March 2014PRODUCER: Molison Farmer/Kerploding TheatreSHOW: WordPLAY

Kerploding Theatre’sWord Play, a play for young audiences that tells the story of three young monsters: a dancer, a musician and a writer, using live original music, movement, poetry and dialogue.This piece supported a Theatre for Development in Tamil Nadu, India.

In star star theatre’s Paper Dreams, a writer receives a gift from her father, the private journals he kept through highschool. The writer, with her own old journals, decides to put her sixteen year old self in a room with her teenage dad – and ask some questions utilizing puppetry and found text.

Paper Dreams was originally developed as one of Intrepid Theatre’s Petri Dish residencies at Winterlab 2014, and was then presented as a workshop production at the 2014 rEvolver festival.

May 2014PRODUCER: Robin Gadsby and New Blood TheatreSHOW: The Princess Rescue Force

They are the best and the brightest, handpicked for excellence, superior in every way, the elite. That’s right damsels, distress no more…. the Princess Rescue Force is here! This solo show featured over 15 characters, played by Gadsby and directed by Kieran Wilson.

The Princess Rescue Force was presented as a part of Theatre SKAM’s Bike Ride 2014 and the 2014 Victoria Fringe Festival.

July 2014PRODUCER: Angela FerreiraSHOW: The Peaceful Sea

A multi-disciplinary telling of Magellan’s circumnavigation of the globe that explored the dichotomy of hero vs villain.

August 2014PRODUCER: Robbie HuebnerSHOW: The Dangers of Daphne

Daphne’s sick of being tied to railroad tracks. Or purloined by some mustachioed villain. Ever since she moved to Hollywood to become an actress Daphne’s been nothing but an object the Man-of-the-Week rescues. Sure, her movie serials are popular, but what good is popularity when you’re not in control? What happens when a 1914 film star isn’t content to sit pretty?

Francine and Frankie B, veteran puppet performers, are tired of performing just for kids. Looking for a change, they have decided create Art. However, just when they are ready to begin the audience arrives! They solicit help from the audience, resulting in a wild, all-ages show, featuring live music, shadow puppetry, and audience participation.

Third grader Sam, the Kid Psychic, and her best friend Shyface, journey from 7 to 17 in this exploration of what school is teaching today’s youth about the “real world.” An honest look into how two kids grow up in our education system.

Kid Psychic was first workshopped at The Belfry Theatre’s Spark Festival as a mini-play in 2013, and appeared at Intrepid Theatre’s Homo for the Holidays 2014.

A fierce & funny foray on being 40…ish. This solo show by Vancouver actor and playwright Yvette Dudley-Neuman was presented as the first reading, with a talkback after to aid in the development of the work. The subsequent draft was awarded Honourable Mention in the 2014 Theatre BC Play Writing Competition and the debut production will occur at the 35th Edmonton Fringe Festival and then at the Vancouver Fringe in 2016.

February 2015
SHOW: Yule BleedPRODUCER: Laura Simons/Catador Theatre

What happens to the family that bleeds together? Find out as the Hoffmans make a family trip to the shopping mall to donate blood on Christmas Eve, in this new play by Laura Simons. One thing is certain- Yule Bleed!

What makes a man become a Men’s Rights Activist? Agency and Empathy is the journey from loneliness to confusion to misogyny. But as the anger rises between MRA’s and feminists, there are those who rather see war than resolution.

April 2015
SHOW: The Lab, a part of Theatre SKAM’s SKAM Remixed SeriesPRODUCER: Chase Hiebert/Theatre SKAM

Originally written by SKAM’s Matthew Payne, the 2014 SKAM interns will re-write and re-mount The Lab as part of the “SKAM Remixed Series.” Inside the lab, technicians work to grow andculture embryos. When a new arrival joins the team and breaks the strict rules under which embryos are grown, surprising results emerge. SKAM expanded their one day YOU Show to a two week run as part of their season.

This black comedy follows an eccentric and twisted scientist who has been experimenting on inanimate objects and animals. Through his studies, he has discovered how to give these objects and creatures not only the power of speech, but the ability to feel human emotions.

July 2015
SHOW: A Conspiracy of RavensPRODUCER: Karen Lee White

Both Satan and Jesus are tired of their respective roles, and meet up in Victoria’s Chinatown for Bubble Tea. They encounter a Raven spirit who tells them in no uncertain terms what their issues are, and that mankind is ready to embrace and take responsibility for own their inner light and darkness. This show sold out its YOU Show run of two shows and went on to be performed at the LA Fringe.

August 2015SHOW: Places to WaitPRODUCER: Aaron Simm

Places to Wait is a one man show that looks at what happens during the downtime of an epic journey. An intimate look into the space after you have left, but before you have arrived. Places to Wait takes a look under the surface, to see what is really going when there is nothing happening. Filled with spoken word, humor, and heartbreak, this narrative story is about new beginnings, old friendships, and a lifetime of waiting to get out of Winnipeg. Aaron went on to tour this show to the Winnipeg and Toronto Fringes in 2016.

September 2015SHOW: SCAPE: VictoriaPRODUCER: Colette Habel

SCAPE: Victoria is a devised theatre piece constructed by a director as auteur and a company of 3-6 actors. The piece explores and illustrates life in an urban center and the seemingly fragile but poignant relationships formed by those that live within them as told through the perspectives of the collaborating artists.

December 2015SHOW: After the BeepPRODUCER: Pamela Bethel

Part confessional, part show-and-tell, After the Beep uses voice recordings from Pamela’s “private” teenage phone line. It’s a chapter from Pamela’s life – documented in everyone’s voice but her own.

February 2016SHOW: THE HUNTPRODUCER: Andrew Barrett/Impulse Theatre

A physical theatre piece featuring a trio of male performers that explores the need to hunt through the lens of the animal.

March 2016SHOW: Mack the Nurse: the Legacy of Carl GustaffsonPRODUCER: Paul Shortt

An absurd puppet play about a nurse who winds up on a journey across the country to meet a woman he’s never met, to give her recently deceased father’s prized possession – the family photo album.

April 2016SHOW: Once Upon A Coffee BreakPRODUCER: Kayla Hart/hartofsilver productions

Once Upon A Coffee Break – a new play by aspiring playwright (and former barista) Kayla Hart – takes classic tales like The Emperor’s New Clothes and The Princess and the Pea and brings them into your neighbourhood cafes. Will everyone live caffeinated ever after?

A whimsical exploration of love, buried dreams, and the things that knock us off-balance. Told through the use of puppetry and stilt, The Succubus is the story of a macabre mama and her ghoulish babe. This piece started out at The Belfry’s Spark Fest as a mini play.

A two-part workshop evening, featuring a staged reading of Howl, based on the works of Allen Ginsberg and adapted by Rebecca Marchand and Carolyn Moon. Can an artist be artistic without being tragic? Followed by a performance of Carolyn Moon and SJ Valiquette’s acclaimed Fringe show, The Quiet Environmentalist, a story about mothers’ relationships with their daughters who have eating disorders, told through spoken word and storytelling.

October 2016SHOW: What a Nice Place to BePRODUCER: Vino Buono /Kat Taddei, Written by Dominik Buconjic

When psychic Penelope Swann loses the ability to telepathically communicate with her partner Anthea, she’ll do anything to avoid the newfound loneliness in her thoughts. Refuge arrives in the form of a novelty replica of the bar from her favourite sitcom. As Penelope retreats from the world, the line between television and reality begins to crumble. Fast-paced and bitingly satirical, What a Nice Place to Be is the debut work from UVic playwriting student Dominik Buconjic. Directed by Kat Taddei.

Puberty is hard enough the first time around, try doing it twice. A classic coming of age tale with life or death chase scenes, star crossed lovers, dirty little secrets and in your face poetry. Erin Cotton is asking you to look in the mirror of her life and see yourself reflected.

November 2016SHOW: How to WantPRODUCER: Emma Leck

To the untrained eye, Sarah is just your run-of-the-mill asexual. To Sarah, she is a sexual in training. A stranger to any kind of sexual desire, Sarah uses herself as a subject in a series of google search based experiments to learn how to want someone in the illogical world of sexuality. She may accidentally discover a few things about herself along the way.

Calling Home is a documentary play about Army, Navy and Air Force members across Canada separated by huge distance trying to keep the sense of family alive for months at a time. Based on interviews where members and their spouses speak about “family being dolled out in 15 minute increments” via skype, telephone and snail mail. Written by Kris Atwood with Dramaturgical support and direction by Kathleen Greenfield (Little Orange Man, Sleeping Giants at William Head), Calling Home is a workshop performance and first phase of an ongoing project.